Five Things To Watch In Philadelphia This Week

Workers prepare the podium Sunday ahead of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia

Credit Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton will break the penultimate glass ceiling this week — becoming the first female nominee of a major American political party.

It's a historic milestone that's been obscured by Donald Trump's chaotic convention and, now, on the eve of the Democratic convention, the resignation of the DNC chairman following the leak of 20,000 emails showing that the DNC had its thumb on the scale for Clinton. The Clinton campaign blames the leak on the Russians, who they say are trying to put their thumb on the scales for Trump.

Whew!

Here are 5 things to watch in Philadelphia this week:

How unified will the Democrats be?

The Wikileaks email dump threatened to upend the careful truce worked out between the Sanders camp and Clinton campaign. But it has led to a huge victory for Sanders. He got Debbie Wasserman Schultz's head on a platter. Sanders has had a terrible relationship with Schultz. He even endorsed her primary opponent. Did Schultz's resignation satisfy the Sanders forces? Or will they have a demonstration or a walkout on the floor of the convention, presenting an image of a party almost as divided as the GOP? The answer may come Monday night when Sanders addresses the convention. Will he wholeheartedly and enthusiastically back Clinton? If he does, that will go a long way to unifying the party.

Will Democrats succeed in making the contrast with the GOP?

Donald Trump's divided and divisive convention set up a big fat target for the Clinton campaign. In addition to showcasing their (relative) unity, the Democrats are also planning a program that is optimistic, uplifting and inclusive. If Donald Trump is selling strength, Hillary Clinton will be selling steadiness in uncertain times.

But there's one part of the contrast that will be tricky to make. Watch how Democrats handle change versus the status quo. Hillary Clinton is an insider running in a outsider year.

She is the status quo candidate at a time when a lot of voters want change — even unpredictable change. Watch how she and President Obama make the case for continuity — for what is essentially "Chapter Two" of the Clinton/Obama agenda.

Can Clinton make voters see her as more honest? More likable?

Hillary Clinton is the most unpopular candidate to ever run for president — other than Donald Trump. To change that, the Democrats will have to provide a contrast to the GOP hatefest and Clinton will have to present a positive case for herself and her agenda. This is Clinton's big challenge.

She comes into the convention with a majority of voters saying she is not honest or trustworthy or likable. Her approval ratings have been on a steady decline ever since she left the State Dept. and became a politician again — and she's really been hurt by the FBI director's stinging assessment of her "extreme carelessness" handling classified information.

She might not be able to reverse voters views of her honesty but she might be able to make herself more relatable with testimonials from President Obama and Bill Clinton and a speech of her own that shows she's warm and approachable — the way so many people say she is in small groups or one-on-one.

Can they put on a better show than the GOP?

Donald Trump promised a convention full of showbiz. But he didn't deliver. Sure there was his WWF entrance with the smoke machine and backlit silhouette but there just weren't that many sports heroes or celebrities in Cleveland. The Democrats are determined to do better than Turmp in the entertainment department. They've got Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Keisha, Lady Gaga, The Roots and Fergie. Then there are the political stars — President Obama, Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren and Bill Clinton.

Donald Trump is a one man band, with few personal validators beyond his family, his employees, and Chris Christie. Hillary Clinton has a whole chorus of democratic luminaries singing her praises.

Will Clinton get a bounce?

The average convention poll bounce for Democrats since 1964 is 6.8 percent; for Republicans, it has been 5.3 percent, according to Gallup. Sometimes a candidate gets no bounce at all. Romney didn't in 2012. But sometimes they get a big bounce. Bill Clinton did in 1992 — a whopping 16 point bump after his convention in 1992. In a year when both candidates are so intensely disliked, that seems unlikely — but even a little improvement in her image would help a lot.

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A group of Kentuckians will witness history being made next week at the Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton is expected to officially become the nation’s first female presidential nominee.

Kentucky is sending 55 delegates and five alternates to the convention in Philadelphia. Among them is Michele Thomas of Bowling Green who knows a thing or two about her party’s national conventions. She was an alternate delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2008 and a delegate for Barack Obama in 2012. Her face lights up just talking about the experiences.

“There’s just a poignancy in the air. There’s exhilaration," says Thomas. "You’re there with a lot of people excited about their candidate and who want their candidate to win. It’s similar, but not the same as a football game like if Louisville plays UK.”

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes will speak to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week.

Grimes was one of dozens of speakers added to the agenda on Thursday. The secretary of state is in her second term in office, having narrowly won re-election in November.

Grimes gained national prominence in 2014 for her challenge to veteran U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. McConnell won the race and would go on to become Senate majority leader.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton campaigned for Grimes several times in her Senate campaign. The Clinton family is close with Grimes and her family, including Jerry Lundergan, Grimes' father and former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Grimes' mother, Charlotte Lundergan, is a superdelegate pledged to support Clinton.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is Hillary Clinton's choice for her vice president, giving her a running mate with experience at all levels of government to round out the Democratic ticket.

Clinton told supporters the news in a text message and a tweet on Friday evening just after 8 p.m. ET. According to a Clinton campaign official, the former secretary of state called Kaine this evening to make the formal offer.

In recent days, Kaine had emerged as the favorite — albeit safe — pick for Clinton, over other finalists such as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Labor Secretary Tom Perez and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

According to the Clinton campaign official, their vetting process first began back in April with more than two dozen potential running mates. Kaine and Clinton campaigned last week in Northern Virginia as a tryout of sorts, and Clinton walked away impressed and comfortable with him as a partner. The two met with aides and then one-on-one for a total of about 90 minutes that night.

Last Saturday, the Kaine and Clinton met together with their families for lunch at the Clintons' home in Chappaqua, N.Y. She remained comfortable with Kaine as someone who could do the job, and the alliance was made.

It has been said that "to cleave" is the only verb in English that connotes one specific action and its direct opposite. To cleave sometimes means to hold together, and it can also mean to split apart.

That's why Cleveland was the perfect city to host the 2016 Republican National Convention. Because this week, in this town, the GOP demonstrated both its persistent divisions and its instinct for overcoming them.

The bottom line result of four nights in the Quicken Loans Arena was the consummation of the party's union with Donald J. Trump, its new master and presidential champion. The coming together was never going to be easy or smooth. It was a match made not in heaven, but in the hot flames of the party's debates, primaries and caucuses.

Trump emerged from that crucible with 14 million votes, a fact with which he began his acceptance speech on Thursday night. It was more than any Republican contender in history, a fact that Trump also happened to mention.

Trump then reviewed the greatest hits from his campaign rally speeches, but in an LP format. He took the stage a little after 10:15 p.m. and spoke until about 11:30. C-SPAN clocked it at 73 minutes and said it was the longest since at least 1972.